I'm such a loser.

I used to reserve games just to get the freebie T-shirt with whatever character was on the front.

I stayed up too late and neglected homework to "train" for the Blockbuster Video Game Challenges (I did win one year, so it was not all wasted I guess).

I used to study moves lists for arcade fighters so I could destroy my opponents.

I still wear the Episode I Racer shirt I got with reservation (for yard work, but still...).

Oh, and on system reservations, I stayed on line with the unwashed masses (seriously, most of them fucking REEKED) at midnight in the mall to get my Dreamcast from Software, Etc. I dragged my then-girlfriend (now wife) with me.

If you like that book you might want to check out:

<a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=374L90RGI1&isbn=0345333926& itm=1" target="_blank">Larry Niven's Ring World</a>

I haven't read it but I hear it's a decent Sci-Fi read.

The only two I can remember are, oddly, both related to Metal Gear Solid.

First one occured on February 26th 1999, the day of the game release in France. I had been pumped and waiting for the game for 4 months. So I go to the Fnac (a local chain of stores which does dvd, books, cd, computers, basically everything entertainment related) to grab my copy first thing in the morning. The video games section is on the second floor. I'm so eager to get my hands on the game that I sprint up the escalator.. Nearly at the top, I trip and manage to catch myself just before I fall flat on my face in front of the entire crowd. My ankle hurt for twenty minutes after that.

Second one happened on the day of MGS2's european release. No tripping over this time, but after I bought my copy, just as I come out the store, I drop to my knees, brandish the box up to the high heavens and yell: "YEAAAAAAAH!". People around me were looking at me like I had escaped from an asylum.

Slater, is that book Halo: The Flood?

If it is, I pity your soul right now. From what I remember, that was nothing more than an in-character walkthrough of the game itself.

If you want good Halo fiction, Halo: The Fall of Reach is what to get. Sort of a prequel.

I got busted for cussing in a Gameworks because the light gun wasnt lined up right and I kept missing the target on that Police trainer game. They told me to get out for being so loud (and probably because of the cussing)

But, really, can any of those Halo books compare the mastery of prose RL Stine commands in the Goosebumps books?

I took a week off work to play FF7 when it was released.

I memorized every move for every character (and almost every 10 hit combo) in Tekken 2. Now I can barely play any fighters because I will NEVER be as good at another one as I was at Tekken 2. That was the good old days before every character had 50 different reversals on top of the already massive move set.

This isn't that bad but on the day of the release of the Gameboy Advance I waited outside Gamestop, then Babages, for one hour before it opened which was 8 or 9 am just so I could be the first one to get the Gameboy Advance.

I also took 2 days off of school just so I could play Final Fantasy X when it come out.

Another one: I skipped classes the day I got GTA Vice City to play all day. I got it by mail since I ordered it from Amazon, and nearly broke into a nervous rage when it seemed that the mailman wouldn't show up (turned out he arrived two hours after the time I was expecting him, lotsa packages to deliver since it was the day after a national holiday).

There is nothing worse than waiting for the mail when you KNOW a cool package is on the way. I'll be going through that again in a couple weeks.

It's like Christmas.

Another mail order bride?

You think that's bad Slater? I've still got a copy of WORLDS OF POWER- Mega Man 2 by F.X. Nine that I bought in 3rd grade or something- I even read the thing a few months ago. Even flipped it upside down to read all the game hints!

Hated the story though cause-

SPOILERS!
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I mean it, don't look!
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Mega Man turns into a real kid at the beginning of the book, and has to fight the robots being a wuss! All dealing with feelings and crap!
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END SPOILERS

Look at this great passage from the story! (Chapter 14)
An undeniable masterpiece.

Of course, you did get your book as an adult...

My former roommates and I were obsessed with Starcraft. Our greatest moments was in a 3v3 game online that lasted over 7 hours. Neither side was willing to give up. We all awoke on a saturday and started playing at noon. With our bases entrenched, we took turns going to the bathroom and eating while the other two watched the bases and continued building and skirmishing. I remember one of my roommates was taking a shit as the enemy began an offensive. We screamed at him to get out here asap and he did, pants nearly round his ankles, but we beat off that attack.

In the end, no one won as we all left to go drinking after numerous calls from friends to do so. Finally deciding that we had to get out of the apartment was hard on all of us as we had invested the entire day to this battle, but it was evident that no one was going to win.

For those familar with the game, we had every inch of our bases filled with defensives structures. I remember the enemy attacked with several protoss carrrier fleets and we destroyed them in minutes. There was no way to break the stalemate. I launched 4 nukes nearly simultaneously in one of our offensives, but it produced nary a dent in their defensives. That day was one of the greatest gaming days of my life as we saw it as a life and death struggle for victory.

Hey, you wanted loser stories right?

I have the Worlds of Power boxed set. It has Mega Man, Master Blaster, Metal Gear, and Ninja Gaiden.

AHHHH!!!

I NEED THAT! Were there any more mega man stories, or was 2 a one shot deal?

I've spent 1 entire year gaming Quake 3 Arena, each and everyday for at least 3 hours. Just to be better than a friend who did the same.
One day I finally beat him in a thrilling match which was watched by all our friends. During the match, my friend destroyed his keyboard and had to change it with another friend's.
When I finally beat him, I was the greatest hero for my whole friends, because none of them ever had any chance against him. He always laughed about the others when winning another game, and this time everyone laughed about him.
He learned his lesson and since then, I've beaten him EVERYTIME.

Oh, did I mention the 12-hour-Q3-gamingsession featuring-nonstop-mindcrushing-metal(slipknot etc, no discussions about whats metal please, imagine rock music thats fast, wild and bass-heavy)-on-"ARE YoU nuTS??"

We're still eager to do the 24 version of that one and I'm still playing the game once in a while.

A friend and I once played River City Ransom for a weekend without beating it just so we could buy everything in the game, once each.

Oh, and I used to be such a Starcrack nut that I would dream about games. Not past games, but future games. I spent a good two years of college playing that game. Either on my own multiplayer games or with friends in a LAN game.
Greatest near acheivement was a near victory in a 2v6comps game by me and another buddy in Brood Wars. 2v5comps was a routine victory, but we could never win with that extra comp. Didn't stop us from trying for like 2 months though. We played comps cause we were thieving monkeys and had a crack version of the game.

Starcraft is the greatest game I have ever played.

Recently, I took a Wednesday off to play Soul Calibur 2. It was supposed to come out that morning. It didn't come out til later that night. That day sucked.

Once spent a whole evening playing minesweeper.

Beat that!

I did that once too and never won a single time, HAH!